Brennenstuhl is a quartet from Augsburg, Germany with a personal sound that mixes Psychedelia, Jazz and Blues with a Krautrock imprint, the band describes its style as Acid Jazz Krautrock. The new album “No” was released on September 23, 2022 via Tonzonen Records and contains 12 medium-length tracks. The album opens with “Intro” a track that immediately shows the more Jazzy and Experimental side of the band’s sound. Intricate phrasing between guitar and saxophone with the vocals coming in and a minimal rhythm section with deep bass lines. The title track “No” opens with guitar and Eva‘s beautiful voice, a real added value to the band’s sound. The band’s acid jazz traits come to the fore, with intense lead guitar inserts and an enveloping mood that accompanies us throughout the track. With its original traits and intricate textures, it sums up the band’s stylistic concept, and in the second half the vocals are layered and the sax offers a solo cue in the finale. “Walfischmagen” is a 45-second interlude with more experimental and avant-garde features. A deep, load-bearing bass line and elaborate drumming open “Turtledrive,” which returns to more Jazzy textures with the sax driving the melodies, intertwining with the guitar. The rhythms move slowly and the intensity increases as the song progresses, enveloping us in a Psychedelic atmosphere made up of layers and modulations of excellently crafted sounds in a continuous crescendo. Rhythmic and addictive, “Xpress Yourself” shows a facet of the band’s sound that makes you want to dance. The retro sounds are re-proposed in a modern and markedly personal key, with the vocal adding quality to the track. The central theme is developed with guitar and sax solo interventions, while the energetic rhythm section features a killer bassline and energetic drumming. “Common Slider” is a mixture of jazz and blues with soft traits, with the sax at the centre of the sound with a prolonged solo that accompanies us throughout the track. Another piercing bass line characterises “Ja Ja,” where the guitar enters with very interesting solo cues. The vocals intervene with very intense and perfectly interpreted inserts, old-school Jazz in the most positive sense of the word. “Urknall” is another 28-second interlude enriched by effects and sound modulations that takes us to the following. More modern sounds combine with Jazz and Kraut in “Sailor,” which moves slowly and envelops us in its sounds. The vocals as always are an added value, the bass leading and the guitar guiding the melodies. Sax and guitar duet in the first part of “Machine Gun Mammoth,” a Jazz track characterised by continuous tempo changes. The rhythm section is solid and elaborate, while in the first part the solo parts are one of the highlights of the track. Eva‘s vocals give us a brief but intense test of the album, before returning to the central theme of the track and closing in a very rhythmic crescendo. The longest track on the album “Stars In Her Eyes” is a track where all the band members showcase their technical skills. The vocals are very intense, guitar and sax take turns in the solo inserts and the rhythm section is intricate and enriched by the tempo changes. A mixture of Acid Jazz, Kraut and a touch of Psychedelic, proposed with the band’s personal style, skilful in creating tracks that are always very original. The album concludes with the upbeat “Drei” where sax and guitar duet to create melodies and solos with the rhythm section being a fun and engaging march. A band with quality technique and ideas, adept at creating their own personal style by mixing different genres. Between Jazz and Krautrock via Acid Jazz and Psychedelia with refined instrumental sections and intense singing parts that enhance Eva’s vocals. The song structures are elaborate and sophisticated, with rhythmic sections at times intricate and enriched by tempo changes. An album recommended for lovers of the more jazzy Kraut sounds, with a distinctly personal style that combines retro traits and a modern, original imprinting.
Tracklist
01. Intro (03:43)
02. No (05:56)
03. Walfischmagen (00:45)
04. Turtledrive (04:39)
05. Xpress Yourself (05:39)
06. Common Slider (02:46)
07. Ja Ja (03:40)
08. Urknall 00:28
09. Sailor (03:00)
10. Machine Gun Mammut (07:10)
11. Stars In Her Eyes (07:13)
12. Drei (02:49)
Lineup
Eva Welz / Vocals, Saxophone, Percussions
Anjo Gruber / Guitar, Backing Vocals
Christoph “Zeinse” Zeitner / Drums
Mu Brzoska / Bass